This invention relates to novel additives for the production of wet strength in cellulosic substrates. Untreated paper is essentially a mass of cellulosic fibers held together by their physical contact with adjacent fibers and by hydrogen bonding between hydroxyl groups on the cellulosic polymer chains. Where such paper is placed in water the forces holding the fibers together are dissipated and the structure rapidly loses its coherency. This is a phenomenon that is familiar to all.
For some applications this behavior of wet paper is unsatisfactory as for example when the paper is used to prepare kitchen towels, facial tissues, diaper liners, hand towels and the like. Accordingly, additives have been developed to improve the "wet strength" of such sanitary paper. Such additives are usually applied in such a way that they adsorb onto the fibers of the paper and cure there such that the fibers are in effect bonded together by the cured additive at the interfiber contact points.